an Indonesian island files a complaint against the world’s largest cement manufacturer

A Swiss court has agreed to examine a climate damage dispute between residents of an Indonesian island, threatened by rising waters, and Swiss cement giant Holcim.

The inhabitants of a small Indonesian island threatened by the effects of global warming have just won an important battle in Switzerland. They accuse Holcim, the world’s largest cement manufacturer, of being responsible for the rising waters that are engulfing their island. A court has agreed to hear the dispute and a trial could therefore take place. This is the first time that a legal action against a multinational linked to climate change has been declared admissible in the country.

In a very detailed judgment, the court of the canton of Zug, where Holcim’s head office is established, validated the essence of the complaint filed by four residents of the island of Pari. The plaintiffs demand “compensation for damage already caused on the island, participation in the financing of flood protection measures and a rapid reduction of its CO2 emissions”indicate the NGOs. Experts believe that almost all of the 42 hectares of this island, located about forty kilometers north of Jakarta, could be submerged by 2050.

The group has no activity on this 42-hectare islet off the coast of Jakarta. But this does not clear Holcim, accused by these Indonesians of being responsible for the rising waters. “We have a victim who is characterized and then on the other side we have a company responsible for a fairly significant share of global emissions”estimated at 0.42%, explains Sébastien Duyck, lawyer at the International Center for Environmental Law. “It doesn’t seem like much, but it’s twice the cumulative emissions of Switzerland”he emphasizes.

Holcim, for its part, considered that it had already committed to the decarbonization of its activity and considers that it is not up to a court to define the limits of greenhouse gas emissions. But Swiss justice swept aside this argument: “What polluters have been asking for for years is some form of impunity when it comes to climate change. And that’s what the court refused, saying it couldn’t dismiss a case like that just because it’s about climate change.”explains Sébastien Duyck.

The decision could set a precedent and give ideas to other plaintiffs around the world. Climate defenders hope to highlight a lesser-known but very polluting industry, responsible for around 8% of the CO2 released into the atmosphere each year, significantly more than aviation. The Holcim company has already announced that it will appeal.